The rogues and the canaries
by Not Just a Nerd
Summary: In which Leonard and Sara drag Mick and Laurel to their dates. One-shot. Captain Canary.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Flarrow verse or any of its characters.**

* * *

She's not one of those girls who divides her boyfriend's days into "my time" and "your friend's time", and instead prefers to blur the line between "my friends" and "your friends" and hang out with "their friends". She genuinely enjoys Mick's company, likes to team up with him and tease Leonard, and the ten dollars she wins from her bet with Mick every time they get drunk and he passes out before her sure as hell doesn't hurt.

He's not one of those guys who will let his best friend and his girlfriend get away with having fun at his expense without a little payback, and so he comes out with the perfect plan to annoy Sara- invite Laurel Lance into one of these "dates" and have someone to team up with.

* * *

"I might lose my job if someone sees me with you guys," Laurel comments when she joins the trio in a small booth in the pub, seemingly in the middle of a fight, judging by the men's silence and Sara's gesture of crossing her arms in front of her.

"And yet you came," Leonard drawls, offering her a half-smirk.

She shrugs, physically nudges her sister to make her shift so that she can take a seat, like they are still ten and eight, and crosses her arms across her chest as well, mirroring Sara. "I'm intrigued. You seem to have managed to erase every bit of evidence and every single criminal record on you."

Leonard feigns innocence. "What criminal record?"

Mick gives Len a glare. "You erased all records of you and Lisa, but not me. Way to stick up for me, _partner_."

"Ray offered. You said no. Let it go," Leonard answers calmly.

Laurel's eyes first widen at the shocking revelation that goody-two-shoes Raymond Palmer had offered to do something illegal for these people. She figures they might have blackmailed or threatened him, or they manipulated him using his soft and trusting side. Then again, her own sister is dating one of them, so maybe there is a half-decent person somewhere underneath.

The next thing she notices is that Leonard and Sara are seated diagonally from each other, and are not even so much as sparing a glance at the other. She is scared to think they're fighting, scared that Sara might get hurt yet again.

Which leads to her final conclusion- this evening is going to be one long hell, because she needs lots of liquor to get through it, and she can't drink that much when she's completely committed to her sobriety and drinks in moderation.

She opens her mouth to ask them if they want to order something, at the same time that Mick speaks.

"I don't want to erase my records," he says, directing the words at Leonard, while keeping his eyes fixed on Laurel. "I take pride in my work."

Or maybe they really are just a pair of criminals. Laurel scoffs. "You are proud of being a serial arsonist?"

Mick takes a sip off his beer. "I don't normally answer DAs because Snart tells me not to, but since you asked so sweetly, hell yes. You people don't see the beauty in fire. Fire doesn't just destroy, it also creates. We were all a bunch of cavemen eating raw shit, and then boom, fire. And here we are."

"That's actually deep, coming from a criminal," Laurel comments dryly.

Mick takes it as a compliment. "It's the result of being brainwashed into being a temporal bounty hunter by a bunch of sadistic bastards."

Laurel gives him a questioning look, but instead of elaborating, he calls for the waitress, electing to order for them all. "A double cheese hamburger for me, your finest champagne for the lady here, and bring these two something they can't throw at someone."

The waitress pauses to think. Any bottle can be broken and used to hurt someone, and anything not in a bottle can be dumped on someone's head.

She is rescued from her dilemma by Sara. "We'll both take the strongest scotch you have please."

When the waitress leaves, Laurel turns to look at her sister. "Okay. I'm going to ask. What are you guys fighting about?"

"We're not fighting," Sara mumbles, dragging a finger along the table and focusing her gaze on it.

Leonard answers with just a tense shrug.

Curious and desperate, Laurel turns to Mick.

It turns out she is wrong. "They're not fighting, they're mad at me. They were making out. It was gross. I made them separate," Mick explains briefly.

Sara glares at him. "We _are_ a couple, you know."

"Oh, I know. The wall between our rooms isn't that thick," Mick answers with a chuckle. "I'm used to it. But Ms. Lance here might be uncomfortable."

Suddenly, Sara drops her hands on the table, leans in towards Mick, and narrows her eyes at him. "Why are you being so nice to Laurel?" When he only shrugs, her face breaks into a grin. "You _like_ her."

Mick shrugs again, deciding not to deny it, he's got nothing to lose here. "Can you blame me? Have you seen her kicking ass in that tight little leather suit?"

"Ew, that's my sister," Sara says, making a face to indicate her clear disgust.

Laurel gapes at him, her brain struggling to process the information that Mick Rory AKA HeatWave is hitting on her.

Thankfully, the food arrives just then, interrupting further discussion into the prospect of Mick and Laurel.

Unfortunately, Leonard is still looking for payback, specially since the night is not progressing according to his plan, and won't let the topic and the chance to get back at Mick, if not Sara, die. "So let me get this straight," he says, angling his body so he's facing Mick. "I can't kiss my girlfriend because you're trying to impress her sister?"

"You _are_ smart," Mick answers. "And for the record, that's not kissing. That's mouth-sex."

It's Laurel turn now to make a face and say "Ew, gross," inadvertently proving Mick's point.

Mick gives her a smile. "So. Did I impress you?"

"No," Laurel says without missing a beat.

* * *

It turns out, they do it again the next week, this insanity that is the four of them hanging out together. Laurel goes along with it, because this way, she gets to spend some time with her sister and make sure the guy she's dating is treating her right.

After two weeks, she warms up a little to Leonard, and shares a silly story about Sara's younger days. Payback really is sweet, Leonard decides.

After a month, she realizes Sara and Leonard's PDA is just to make other people- usually someone annoying or obnoxious- uncomfortable, and they don't actually indulge in PDA that much.

A few weeks after that, their weekly hang outs turn to twice a week, and she realises that Sara is actually happy with Leonard, happier than she has been in a while, and he's actually not such a terrible guy.

Also, this is the most fun she has had in a while. Now she understands what Ray sees in them. Leonard and Mick may be criminals, and Sara may be a resurrected assassin, but they have a code, a moral compass. They are trying to be their own unashamedly imperfect selves, and at the same time, they are trying not to let others get caught in their crossfire. These people have something inside of them, a kind of non-chalant, non-judgmental warmth that makes her feel happy, which is a welcome contrast to Team Arrow's jaded fights, specially at the side of her ex. Felicity once jokingly refers to their hang-outs as the "Rogues and Canaries double-date", and while she is never going to like Mick, not in that way at least, she has to admit that this gang does feel like some place where she belongs. Sitting at a pub, teaming up with Leonard against Sara and Mick, it's a surprisingly amazing part of her week that she has started looking forward to.

* * *

It's a Wednesday and she's working on a particularly exhausting case. She's already emptied half the bottle when Mick Rory, of all people, stops her, by grabbing the bottle.

"Easy there, canary," he says, looking at her seriously, "I thought you said you're trying to drink in moderation."

His action could have been repulsive, but it's actually comforting, knowing someone is looking out for her and trying to make sure she doesn't do anything she'll regret. She blinks, trying to keep up the façade that she's unaffected by this tiny yet meaningful gesture. "Since when do you care what I do?"

"Which part of I like you didn't you understand?" he answers back.

She crosses her arms to hide the fact that his sincerity actually touches her. "I'm not going back to alcoholism. Relax."

He smiles at her. "Good. Cause I could use your sobriety as an excuse to get out of drinking bets with your sister. She's been stealing all my hard earned money. And dignity."

Sara smiles sweetly at him. "Aww, you scared of me, Mick?"

They are _all_ scared of Sara, and none of them is going to admit that out loud, ever.

"Speaking of hard earned money," Leonard begins. "Mick and I will need some time off to ourselves to plan our next _job._ I'm sure you ladies understand."

Sara glares at them, not wanting to be left out of the thrill. "I thought we were a team."

Laurel glares at them too, but for very different reasons. "I thought you were reformed."

Leonard shrugs. "A leopard never changes its spots and all that."

* * *

The next two weeks are spent by the sisters clubbing and occasionally going karaoke- not all canaries can sing, clearly- and sometimes fighting crime side by side. Laurel realizes she misses the gang a lot more than she thought she would, they are growing on her, and she might even call them her friends now, as crazy as that sounds.

She is a little concerned that they might get hurt or they might hurt someone during their next big heist, and a little shocked at how she's turning a blind eye to a criminal activity despite being a part of law enforcement. Does that make her an accomplice?

She once asks Sara what the job is, and Sara shakes her head. "I'm not gonna rat them out to the DA."

"I'm not just a DA. I'm your sister too," Laurel points out, but Sara is too loyal to divulge any details.

It's actually Leonard who tells her once the job is done- attesting to the fact that she's growing on them too and they're starting to trust her. It turns out, they did steal, but from a shady human trafficking agency that she has been trying to take down for months, effectively cutting off their financial support and weakening them. It's getting rich and saving lives all at the same time, and it leaves bubbles of pride and relief in her stomach.

"Did I impress you _now_?" Mick asks again that night.

"No," she answers again without missing a beat.

* * *

 **A/N: Some people wanted this, so here it is. Hope you liked it :)**


End file.
